A society that has no heroes will soon grow enfeebled. Its purposes will be less elevated; its aspirations less challenging; its endeavors less strenuous. Its individual members will "hang loose" and "lay back" and, so mellowed out, the last thing of which they wish to hear is heroism. They do not want to be told of men and women whose example might disturb them, calling them to effort and duty and sacrifice or even the chance of glory.
(Henry Fairlie, "Too Rich for Heroes." Harper's, November, 1978)

Usage Notes:

• Keep in mind the difference between its and it's.
• If necessary, review the Guidelines for Using Apostrophes Correctly.

Additional Practice:

• Exercise in Eliminating Deadwood From Our Writing
• Exercise in Using Pronouns for Cohesion and Conciseness
• Pronoun Exercise: Recasting a Paragraph With Pronouns